Decorative article



Jan. 10,1939. R COOLEY DECORATIVE ARTICLE Filed Aug. 15, 1956 m T N E V m Qww C0040.

A TTORNEYS.

Patented Jan. 10, 1939 UNITED STAT S PATENT OFFICE DECORATIVEABTICLI Ruth 0mm, Sifl' nl'flcld, Mt... l Application August 15, 10st, Serial No. 90.151 5 Claims. (01. 41-21) This invention relates in general to a decorative sheet material and more particularly to a decorative table cover, or the like, and to correlated improvements designed to enhance the decorative character of the article.

Heretofore it has been proposed to make simulated lace articles by printing an opaque deposit upon a sheet of transparent non-fibrous material such as Cellophane. The material heretofore used has been exclusively transparent and colorless. as a result of which it was found that the appearance of the article was dependent upon the contrast which the printing made with the surface upon which the printed sheet was positioned. It is obvious that when such a sheet of' Cellophane, bearing a simulated lace design in opaque ink thereon, is placed on a table of light colored wood, the design does not contrast sufliciently with the surface to givea pleasing decorative effect. Moreover, such products as have been heretofore known have employed inks which are merely opaque and white, and attempts to use a multiplicity of superimposed colored inks have so greatly increased the cost of manufacture of such articles as to greatly restrict their use. Furthermore, in the articles heretofore produced the transparent'sheet extended beyond the edge, of the design so that the sheet per se did not have a well defined edge, the sheet serving merely as. a carrier for the printing and having no decorative value itself.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a decorative sheet material having a design contrasting with the sheet material to give a decorative effect and the sheet contrasting sharply with any surface upon which it is placed.

It is a more specific object of the invention to provide a decorative table cover which may be cleaned in a simple and efficient manner by the use of a damp cloth.

It is a further specific object to provide a decorative dolly in which the design is securely anchored against removal by handling or moisture.

It is a further specific object to provide a decorative table cover exhibiting a multiplicity" of colors forming a design.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

According to the invention a decorative sheet material, adapted for use as a table cover, is made by producing upon a sheet of a colored flexible material a design comprising an opaque deposit of an ink, the ink deposit-contrasting in color with the sheet material. Preferably, the design is formed of a waterproof opaque ink, the sheet material is moistureproof, and the marginal edges of the sheet and of the design are made to coincide so that the article has a sharply defined edge. The invention also includes a table cover comprising a plurality of sheets of flexible coiorecl material united by a suitable transparent adhesive.

The invention accordingly comprises the article possessing the features, properties, and the relation of elements which will be exemplified in the article hereinafter describedyand the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which: I

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of one embodiment of the article of the invention;

Figs. 2 to 4 inclusive are views in section of as many embodiments of the article of the invention; and

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the article illustrated in F18. 4. i

The sheet material used in the article of the invention may comprise any suitable flexible material, preferably anon-fibrous sheet material such as Cellophane, plasticized sheets of cellulose derivatives such as cellulose esters, cellulose ethers, as well as plasticized sheets of gelatine, casein, synthetic resins, chlorinated rubber, and the like.

Any suitable opaque ink may be employed in making the article of the invention but it is preferable to use a waterproof ink comprising the following ingredients: (1) a pigment and/or an opaque dyestufl dispersed in (2 a fluid medium which comprises a solvent or softening agent for the surface of the material and, if desired, (3) a film-forming substance such as a resin, a cellulose derivative, or a drying oil. For printing upon non-moistureproof sheet material such as Cellophane, gelatine and casein, the fiuid medium for the ink comprises preferably water or a polyhydric alcohol, such sheets being moistureproofed after printing. For printing upon the above'mentioned sheets when they have been moistureproofed before printing, and also for printing upon cellulose esters, such as cellulose acetate, which are more or less inherently moistum-resistant, there is preferably employed as the fluid medium for the ink such organic solvents as alcohols, ketcnes and esters. These solvents tend to soften the surface of such moisture'proof materials and increase the penetration of the ink.

The film forming ingredient binds the pigment and increases the adherence and waterproofness of the ink deposit.

Referring to Fig. 1, a sheet i of flexible nonfibrous material, which is colored and preferably transparent, is printed withan ink adapted to form an opaque, preferably a colored deposit 2 disposed in predetermined areas forming any suitable design. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 the ink deposit is disposed on the upper surface or face of the sheet. Preferably the edges of the sheet are trimmed accurately around the edges of the design or the marginal areas 3 along the edges of the sheet are covered with an opaque deposit of ink providing the design with a border and giving the article a sharply defined edge.

In Fig. 2 the sheet material 9 is preferably printed so that the opaque deposits 2 of ink are i applied directly on the upper surface of the sheet,

and thereafter both the printed and the unprinted surfaces are coated with a layer 5 of a suitable moistureproofing composition.

In that embodiment which is shown in Fig. 3, the sheet I of flexible non-fibrous material, which is both transparent and colored, is printed on its lower surface with an opaquedeposit 5 of ink forming a suitable over-all design not necessarily covering this surface completely. The upper surface of this sheet is then printed with opaque deposits 2 of an ink having a color which contrasts with and is darker than the color of the sheet material and the color of the" background deposit 5. Thedeposit 5 forms a background or general design against which the deposits 2 on the upper surface are thrown into relief, while the color of thesheet adds further decorative eifect to the article. In this embodiment, however, the base sheet! need not be colored, especially if the deposit 5 is colored and forms a background design which covers the entire lower surface of the sheet This embodiment of the article lends itself to numerous modifications,.all within the scope of the invention. For example, with a given background design the upper surface design may be changed to give several different varieties of the article.

The invention also contemplates a table cover comprising a plurality of superposed flexible sheets of differently colored materials, the upper sheets comprising transparent non-fibrous material, a design on the upper surface and a different design on an enclosed surface, said designs comprising opaque deposits of ink, the colors of the inks and of the sheet materials contrasting with each other.

In Figs. 4 and 5, for example, in which the table cover comprises two sheets laminated together, the article may comprise two circular disks 6 and I, the upper of whichhas a smaller diameter than the other. The larger disk 6 may be of any suitable flexible sheet material and the smaller disk I is of a flexible sheet material which is transparent and preferably colored. There is disposed between the disks a design 8 comprising opaque deposits 2 of ink applied either on the upper face of the lower disk or on the lower surface of the upper disk. There is then applied to the upper surface of the smaller disk and/or of the larger disk another design 9 comprising opaque deposits 2 of a waterproof ink. It will now be seen that new and novel optical decorative effects are produced if the lower sheet 6 has a dark color and the uppermost sheet I has a light color. The lower sheet 6 will form a background or reflecting surface so that the design 8 disposed between these sheets will have a color imparted thereto which is the same as the color of the uppermost sheet I. If the design 9 on the upper surface of the sheet 1 comprises opaque deposits of a color contrasting with the sheet I, a very attractive decorative multicolored design will result. Thus with two sheets of different colors and an ink of Y a given color, there may be produced an article exhibiting three colors.

It is within the purview of the invention to have the design which is disposed between the sheets extend on to those areas of the lower sheet which are not covered by the upper sheet I. If the ink used for applying the design 8 on the sheet 6 has a color contrasting with the color of the sheets and of the design 9 on the upper sheet i, there is produced an article exhibiting a design in four colors. To secure the preferred decorative effect witha multiplicity of superimposed sheets, the lower sheet should be of a darker color than the upper sheet and may be opaque.

By the present invention there has been produced a novel decorative sheet material adapted for use as a. cover for tables, as a doily for tables, dressers, sideboards or shelves and for use in window decoration. When shaped in the form of circular doilies, the article is adapted for use in serving foods and may be placed upon a plate.

The ex- V or saucer, serving tray, or the like. pression table cover as used in the appended claims is intended to include doilies and covers for part or all of a table, tray, serving platter orthe like.

Since certain changes may be made in the above article and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. As an article of manufacture, a decorative doily, comprising a colored flexible sheet material bearing a design formed of an opaque deposit of an ink contrasting with the sheet ma terial, the marginal edges of the sheet being covered by an element of the design to give the sheet sharply defined edges whereby the article will contrast with a table surface.

2. An an article of manufacture, a decorative doily, comprising a colored flexible moistureproof sheet material bearing a design formed of an opaque deposit of a waterproof colored ink contrasting in color with the sheet material, the marginal edges of the sheet being covered by an element of the design to give the sheet sharply defined edges whereby the article will contrast with a table surface.

3. As an article of manufacture, a decorative doily, comprising acolored flexible sheet material bearing on its surface a design formed of an opaque deposit of an ink contrasting in color with the sheet material and having a moistureproof coating applied over said design, the marginal edges of the sheet being covered by an element of the design to give the sheet sharply deflned edges whereby the article will contrast with a table surface.

4. As an article of manufacture, a laminated decorative doily, comprising a plurality of superposed flexible sheets of differently colored materials, the upper sheets comprising ileidble decorative dolly comprising two adhesively united transparent material, a design on the uppermost discs formed of flexible moistureproof colored surface and a different designon an enclosed sheet material, the upper disc being transparent surface, said designs comprising opaque deposits and having a smaller diameter than the lower 1 5 of ink, the colors of the inks and of the sheet disc, a design on the uppermost surface and a 5 materials contrasting with each other, the mardifferent designfon an enclosed surface, said deginal edges of the sheet being covered by an ole-#353: signs comprising opaque deposits of ink, the colment of the design to give the sheet sharply de- "01's of the inks and of the sheet materials confined edges whereby the article will contrast with trasting with each other.

10 a table surface. RUTH COOLEY. 1g

5. as an article of manufacture, a laminated 

